-Afghanistan- mechanical bank c. 1885

This cast iron mechanical bank, attributed to Kyser & Rex Company, presents a striking scene with two bears facing each other. Above them, the words "Afghanistan Bank" and "Herat" suggest a link to the exotic and, perhaps, a sense of the financial frontier. The bear as a symbol is deeply embedded in our collective psyche. It appears in diverse cultures from ancient Greece, where it was linked to the goddess Artemis, to the folklore of indigenous peoples, representing strength, courage, and untamed nature. Here, cast in iron, the bears seem to embody the raw power and potential risks of investment. Consider the alchemical symbol of the bear, signifying the prima materia, the raw, chaotic substance from which something new is created. Does this mechanical bank, then, become a playful commentary on the transformative, sometimes perilous, process of turning pennies into fortune? The image evokes primal emotions - fear, fascination, and the thrill of the unknown - mirroring the human experience of engaging with the financial world. The symbol of the bear, then, is not linear but cyclical, continually resurfacing in various guises, each time colored by the historical and cultural context in which it appears.